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Source Description
Bronze mirrors typically have one polished and one decorated side and were used in tombs for ritual purpose or served as disks for reflection. This mirror depicts the imagined scene of the moon in Chinese mythology. Legend says that the goddess Chang E consumed the elixir of immortality that she stole from her husband, the archer Yi, and flew to the moon. Chang E’s palace, the Broad Cold Palace (<em>Guanghan gong</em>) on the left side of the composition, is juxtaposed with a tall pine tree symbolizing longevity.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159189
label
Octafoil Mirror with Lunar Palace
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159189
contentType
object
title
Octafoil Mirror with Lunar Palace
description
Bronze mirrors typically have one polished and one decorated side and were used in tombs for ritual purpose or served as disks for reflection. This mirror depicts the imagined scene of the moon in Chinese mythology. Legend says that the goddess Chang E consumed the elixir of immortality that she stole from her husband, the archer Yi, and flew to the moon. Chang E’s palace, the Broad Cold Palace (<em>Guanghan gong</em>) on the left side of the composition, is juxtaposed with a tall pine tree symbolizing longevity.
date
early 1100s–mid-1200s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79978425
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 21.3 cm (8 3/8 in.); Overall: 0.9 cm (3/8 in.); Rim: 0.8 cm (5/16 in.)
cul
China, Jin dynasty (1115–1234)
accession
1995.375
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Octafoil Mirror with Lunar Palace (月宮鏡), early 1100s–mid-1200s. China, Jin dynasty (1115–1234). Bronze; diameter: 21.3 cm (8 3/8 in.); overall: 0.9 cm (3/8 in.); rim: 0.8 cm (5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee, 1995.375
titleInOriginalLanguage
月宮鏡
collection
China - Jin Dynasty
didYouKnow
A rabbit and a toad, both creatures believed to live on the moon, can be seen in the center.
citations
citation
Chou, Ju-hsi. <em>Circles of reflection: the Carter collection of Chinese bronze mirrors</em>. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000.
page_number
Mentioned: cat. no. 83, pp. 87–88, 109, 124; Reproduced: p. 87
citation
Wang, Eugene Y. "Mirror, Moon, and Memory in Eighth-Century China: From Dragon Pond to Lunar Palace." <em>Cleveland Studies in the History of Art </em>9 (2005): 42–67.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 62, fig. 16
citation
Kim, Yŏng-wŏn. <em>Miguk Met'ŭrop'ollit'an misulgwan sojang Han'guk munhwajae</em> [미국 메트로폴리탄 미술관 소장 한국 문화재 = Korean art collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, U.S.A]. Haeoe Sojae Munhwajae Chosa. Taejŏn: Kungnip munhwajae yŏn'guso = National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, 2012.
page_number
Comparative material: p. 077, fig. 161
citation
Sin, Myŏng-hŭi, and Kwang-sŏp Kim. <em>Sam kwa yesul sok ch'ŏngdong iyagi</em> 삶 과 예술 속 청동 이야기 = Bronze in life and art]. Ch’ungch’ŏng-bukto Ch’ŏngju-si : Kungnip Ch’ŏngju Pangmulgwan, 2016.
page_number
p. 152, fig. 116
creditline
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
updatedAt
2026-06-18 15:02:40.707000
sourceId
159189
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Jin Dynasty
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
68014bd23cc2def4